This chemically inert gas is colorless and odorless in both its liquid and its gaseous states. It is wildly used as a shielding gas for arc welding and as an ambient gas in steel refining procedures. It is also used for filling mixtures for incandescent (filament) lamps and phosphorescent tubes, increasing thermal insulation of multi pane windows and for manufacturing semiconductor chips. It also serves as a shielding gas in a number of welding processes.